From leadership to collaboration: why the AHP Quality and Safety Senior Leadership Programme is essential for radiographers

BR: Several key elements of the programme are particularly relevant to radiographers and build on their strong skillset:

• Strategic leadership – developing leadership skills ensures they can influence system-wide quality and safety decisions, which impact on radiographic services.
• Patient safety and quality governance – understanding safety systems, risk assessment and reporting mechanisms empowers radiographers to lead on quality improvement initiatives beyond their own professional setting.
• Just culture and psychological safety – radiographers need to feel safe to report concerns and participate in governance without fear of blame. The programme emphasises fostering a culture where learning and accountability go hand in hand.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration – AHPs work alongside doctors, nurses and other professionals. Developing strong collaboration skills helps ensure that patient care is coordinated and effective across care pathways.

These elements are crucial because radiographers play an essential role in patient safety and have key skills built into training and practice that are transferable to other service settings. However, their contributions have often been overlooked in governance structures. This programme ensures they are equipped to take on senior leadership roles and advocate for their professions effectively.

BR: Radiographers can apply their learning in several ways:

• Leading quality improvement initiatives – participants will be equipped with the skills to identify safety concerns, implement quality improvement projects and advocate for changes that enhance patient care.
• Embedding a just culture – AHPs can foster open, fair environments within their teams, encouraging transparent safety reporting and shared learning.
• Engaging in governance and decision making – the programme prepares AHPs to take on leadership roles in clinical governance, ensuring that AHP perspectives are represented at trust boards and policy discussions.
• Mentoring and coaching – participants will develop the skills to support frontline AHPs, helping to build a wider network of safety-conscious and quality-driven professionals.

By applying these skills, AHPs can drive lasting improvements in patient care and system-wide safety cultures.

BR: Programmes like this provide them with the tools, confidence and leadership skills necessary to make a meaningful impact on patient safety and quality governance. Participants will gain:

• Recognition and representation – the programme helps AHPs secure a stronger voice in decision making at trust and system levels.
• Enhanced leadership skills – it builds their ability to influence change, manage teams and drive safety and quality initiatives.
• Practical knowledge and tools – they will learn how to implement the NHS patient safety strategy, use quality improvement frameworks and apply just culture principles in practice.
• A professional network – the programme brings together senior AHP leaders from across the NHS, fostering collaboration and support and a peer network of AHPs who share a vision for quality, safety and equitable healthcare.

Ultimately, AHPs who take part in this programme will be better positioned to influence healthcare policy, improve safety outcomes and advocate for their professions in a meaningful way.

Malany Kalicharan: as deputy chair of the BAME Statutory Advisory Group and a radiographer, my inclusion in the Quality and Safety Senior Leadership Programme has served several key purposes:

• Embedding equity in leadership – ensuring that diverse perspectives, particularly those representing minority communities, are integrated into senior leadership discussions on quality and safety.
• Influencing policy and decision making – providing insights and lived experiences that can help shape more inclusive policies, addressing disparities in safety and quality outcomes.
• Strengthening representation – enhancing the visibility and influence of radiographers and minority leadership within senior decision-making forums, fostering a more inclusive leadership culture across AHPs.
• Driving systemic change – contributing to the development of strategies that improve equity in healthcare or other institutional settings by ensuring safety and quality initiatives consider diverse needs.
• Collaboration and knowledge sharing – building networks with senior leaders to share best practices, challenges and solutions for creating safer and more equitable environments.

BR: AHPs are the third largest professional group in the NHS, but historically there is a perception that their skills and expertise may have been underrepresented in quality training, governance, reporting and key investigations. There is a sense that the viewpoints, patient perspectives and impacts across care pathways that AHPs often bring may be a critical element in the shift to systems thinking in patient safety. Improving the engagement and representation of AHPs will lead to their perspectives being incorporated and engaged in quality and safety strategies alongside multiprofessional clinical partners.

The programme aims to ensure that this changes by:

• Developing AHP leadership at strategic levels – training AHPs to take on roles in safety and quality governance and equipping them with the skills to contribute to policy discussions.
• Advocating for AHP inclusion in governance structures – encouraging trusts and NHS bodies to appoint AHPs to board-level roles and involve them in decision-making processes.
• Building a network of safety and quality leaders – connecting AHPs across regions to collaborate, share insights and collectively influence NHS governance.
• Promoting the use of AHP data in quality reporting – highlighting the need for improved data collection and reporting on AHP contributions to patient safety and quality improvement.

By increasing radiographer and wider AHP visibility in these areas, the programme helps ensure that their expertise and leadership play a central role in shaping the future of NHS safety and quality governance.

MK: It was a privilege to be part of this programme as:

• Radiographers play a critical role in patient pathways, yet they are often underrepresented in strategic decision-making and governance.
• Having diverse voices in leadership is essential to shaping policies that truly reflect the workforce and patient population.

My participation bridged the gap between advisory work and executive-level strategy, ensuring that diversity, equality and inclusion remain central to leadership discussions on quality and safety.